Yakking The Lake For Blackies

[arpie]

Hi guys

On Sunday, Wendy & I decided to try the lake for blackies, as the really dirty water from all the rain was clearing up nicely. However, there was a stiff breeze that was chopping the water up a bit, so Wendy stayed in the Breck Channel whilst I vewntured out towards the main channel.

Found a favourite spot & got a few downs immediately. THen hooked a couple of just legals & put them back. The wind was blowing faster than the tide was flowing & was impeding the float a bit!

I found a spot with some hot bites & was fishing in about 60cm of water ....... when my float disappears quickly onto a really good fish. I strike a bit harder than I should have & the 6lb braid snaps!! I wait for a couple of seconds for my float to reappear, but it doesn't!! Unfortunately, I slowly realised that the line had snapped above my stopper knot & the big fish was not only adorned by a hook, but towing around the weights & float as well!!

WHat is really annoying is that I had looked at the line earlier in the morning & had thought of chopping off a few metres & hadn't done it! I had just primped up the float with a new red stalk & had put a big luminous bead on top (for night fishing as well!) I will definitely recognise it if I see anyone fishing with it again ..... the whole thing was my design & made from scratch!!

So, after hanging around for a little while to see if the fish managed to rub the float off in the lease (it didn't), I headed home & made 3 more! Knitting needles make terrific stalks for blackie floats!!

In the Breck channel, Wendy hadn't even seen a single down!! So we both went home empty handed. Ah well, that is fishing!

The wind is still up today, really badly, so may have to wait a while before trying again from the yak

Cheerio for now!

Roberta

I hope to have a last fish with Colleen & John this afternoon on the breakwall - they have sold their motorhome & take it to the new owners in Sydney on Thurs & fly out to NZ on the weekend! They have been in Forster for a month now & just love it here, but home beckons!

I'll miss not having them around, as it has been a lot of fun & they were very quick learners to the dark art of Blackfishing. They quickly became 'regulars' on the wall & outfished many of the locals (including me on one day!) Over the last week, we had fished the wall every other day & as we both had fish in the freezer, we were giving our catch to others who weren't catching. It was fun. Colleen is now a champion weed gatherer as well as blackie fisher!! I wonder if she will try her new found skills on the parore back home at Whangarei??? They only grow them in one size there ..... HUGE!!! But I reckon they'll be targetting their favourite fish as soon as they get back - SNAPPER!!

Adios Amigos!

Edited September 15, 2008 by Roberta

[Hodgey]

Bad luck on losing your float, Roberta. It's all about Murphy's Law ... if it had been one of you least favourite dishevelled floats, it would have reappeared immediately!

Good to hear the water is starting to clear again. Isn't this wind the pits? October can be a very windy month here, so fingers crossed it will be reduced to a pleasant breeze when you arrive

I hope your friends have a safe journey home. I reckon they'll be regaling their Kiwi friends with stories about The Queen of the Blackfish for many years to come.

Cheers

Hodgey

[slinkymalinky]

Tough break (literally) Roberta

I'm sure the fish will get rid of the rig pretty easily... after all they bust 6lb line pretty easily when held too tight.

Someone out there will score one of your knitting needles when it reappears. Good to hear you're still finding fish regularly though.

Hope you get some better results next time out.

Cheers, Slinky

[Ray R]

Hi Roberta, a big blackie up there somewhere is wearing some jewellery that belongs to you , never know someone might find it and a blackie on the end of it, and the wind down this way is blustery as well... Cheers ...

[anthony f]

It would be interesting to hear a bit more about your night blackie antics! If this has been posted on you can point me in the right direction. I don,t know if I could fit it in, but I am aware where they get on high tides at night. Just think it would be different and if a light glow of a lumo puts them off.

[arpie]

Thanks guys - the trace was only 6lb mono, so that should break before the braid, if he gets it wrapped around a pole somewhere! I was just glad I didn't lose my weed fly again, as I had it on only 10 mins earlier!! That would really have annoyed me!!!

Hi TDH - I haven't actually tried it at night yet, but am told they go ape for nippers at night time & guess you'd be able to see the lumo bead (its a BIG ONE) after flashing it with a torch or camera flash. I don't like night fishing from the rocks, so will retire to a jetty one evening & give it a go!

Yeah Ray - he has more bling on him than the last one!!!

Hey Slinky .....Tough break (literally) Roberta ..... & Hodgey ... ... if it had been one of you least favourite dishevelled floats, it would have reappeared immediately! ..... How True, How True!!

Went down this arvo but Colleen & John had started their cleanout & gotten rid of their rods! So I caught a couple on their behalf & dropped a beautie!! Tough fishing tho - not many caught by 'the pros'! hehehe only 1 amongst 6 fishos!!

I think we may be having a holiday in NZ some time next year I want to try those big Parore!!!

Cheerio

Roberta

Edited September 16, 2008 by Roberta

[Guest Ben75]

Gday Roberta

shame about your float . I also lost one on my last session

When I first started BlackFishing a few years ago yes not long. I was so keen and was keen to catch one at night . The old local Black Fisho's said you wont catch them. So I tried anyway I had a glow stick on my float and around 12am one morning the glow stick slowly went under and I caught this little guy . So yeah they take the weed at night .

Cheers Ben

[glennmreid]

Shame about your float Roberta. I lost a couple when I was last up in Forster. Kept getting snagged on the rope around some of those pylons at the 1st place you showed me. Then the float manged to become free and float away in front of me. That's fishing!

[arpie]

Nice looking fish there, Ben! Good to know they still take weed at night. I have heard the real stompers (45cm+) come on the chew at night & go for bloodworms & nippers. Specially in some of the spots that Chopper75 knows!!

Yeah - shame about losing floats - just part of the game, really. It is the first one I have lost in over a year! If it had re-surfaced, I would have just chased it in the yak! I have sent Keith in for a swim to retrieve one on at least a couple of occasions!

Glenn - often you can retrieve them there, just further along, as they usually head towards the breakwall rather than out to sea. You just need a long net!

Roberta